Facebook looks outside of socnet to better target ads

Facebook users don't mind seeing ads on the social network, as long as those ads are relevant. While Facebook currently discovers users' interests via activity on the social network, that is set to change.

Facebook will soon begin using users' browsing activity outside the social network to target ads. This will be the first time Facebook has strayed outside of the network's boundaries to influence targeted ads.

The company announced the changes to targeted advertising late last week.

"Today, we learn about your interests primarily from the things you do on Facebook, such as Pages you Like," says Facebook in a blog post. "Starting soon in the US, we will also include information from some of the websites and apps you use."

The move sees Facebook fall in line with its competitors such as Google and Yahoo, who also use cookies.

In the same blog post, Facebook announced they are giving users more control over the ads they see with the introduction of an ad preference tool. The tool will be accessible from all ads on Facebook and will allow users to add and remove interests to further tailor their ad experience on the network.